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Biography/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby is seated at a desk, typing with a smile on his face. Next to him is a large pile of crumpled sheets of paper. There are reference books and a dirty coffee cup next to his typewriter. Suddenly, he stops typing and frowns. MOBY: Beep. He pulls the sheet from his typewriter, crumples it, and tosses it on the discard pile. Tim walks up to Moby. He is sipping a soda through a straw from a large paper cup. He looks over Moby's shoulder at what he is typing. TIM: Hey. What's up, robot? MOBY: Beep. TIM: You're writing a biography? Of who? MOBY: Beep. Moby points to a picture on his desk. It is an autographed photo of a robot named Little Jimmy. Text on the photo reads: My best pal, Moby. Stay gold. Yours, Little Jimmy. TIM: Little Jimmy? Has that guy even done anything worth writing about? MOBY: Beep. Moby shows Tim photos of Little Jimmy winning an Olympic gold medal, playing drums for the Beatles, and shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan. TIM: Wow, I had no idea. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, I have to write a biography for English class, and I'm not sure what to do. Can you help? Sincerely, Benny. Benny, it's your lucky day. Moby and I would love to help. Simply put, a biography is the story of someone's life. But, of course, there are many different kinds of biographies. Some are long, scholarly works that take years of painstaking research to produce. An image shows the cover of an Albert Einstein biography. TIM: Some are written quickly and cheaply, to cash in on the fame of a popular celebrity. An image shows the cover of a Miley Cyrus unauthorized biography. TIM: And others fall somewhere in the middle. They're reliable and well-researched, but not too dense or difficult to read. An image shows the cover of a Barack Obama biography. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. There's also autobiography, in which someone tells their own story. An image shows the cover of Hillary Clinton's autobiography. A second image shows the cover of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. TIM: Sometimes called memoirs, autobiographies allow people to reflect on their lives, and share their memories, thoughts, and feelings. Meanwhile, biographical dictionaries contain brief descriptions of the lives of lots of people. And biographies can even take the form of movies, websites, and TV shows! Images show a film poster for A Beautiful Mind, a website about Jessica Anderson, and the opening credits for a VH-1 Behind the Music show about Usher. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. Your biography of Little Jimmy. I was just getting to that. If you're writing a biography, you're going to have to do a whole bunch of research, including both primary and secondary sources. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Primary sources are materials that contain original, firsthand information about the subject. In your case, these might include interviews with Little Jimmy, things he wrote, or documents pertaining to his life. An animation shows a magazine plugging an interview with Little Jimmy on the cover; a book Little Jimmy wrote entitled Drumming Techniques Made Simple and his birth certificate. TIM: And secondary sources are basically interpretations of primary sources. These can include newspaper and magazine articles, other biographies, stuff like that. An animation shows a newspaper with Little Jimmy on the front page, along with a hardcover biography entitled, Little Jimmy: Renaissance Robot. TIM: You can also conduct interviews with people who know Little Jimmy or other experts on his life. An animation shows Moby interviewing a robot. Moby is taking notes on a clipboard. TIM: Finally, you should research the time and place where your subject lived, and learn about the people, books, music, and other things that influenced him or her. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yup, once you've finished your research, it's time to start writing. But writing a biography can be tricky. It's a lot more than just a list of dates, times, and events. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, sure. Creating a timeline can help you keep your information straight. Moby displays a timeline of Little Jimmy's life. Its events include Little Jimmy's birth, high school graduation, drumming for the Beatles, marriage, and winning a gold medal at the Robot Olympics. TIM: But when you write a biography, you want to tell a compelling story. You should start by coming up with a thesis statement, or a main point. If you're having trouble, looking for patterns in your subject's life can help. For example, will your biography tell the story of a robot who spent his whole life working tirelessly to achieve his dreams? An image shows Little Jimmy practicing his drums in the middle of the night. A second image shows Little Jimmy playing drums with the Beatles. TIM: Is it about a robot who went through a dramatic series of ups and downs before finally finding happiness? An image shows the cover of The Oil a magazine for robots. Little Jimmy is lifting a glass, toasting a female robot in a candlelit restaurant. The cover text reads: Love Helps Jimmy Move Beyond His Tortured Past. TIM: Or is it the tragic tale of a robot who had everything, only to lose it all? An image shows the front page of The Robot Paper Little Jimmy is returning his gold medal to a Robot Olympics official. The headline reads: Little Jimmy Tests Positive for Illegal Microchips, Forced to Return Olympic Medal. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, it doesn't have to fall into one of those categories. I'm just throwing out examples. Anyway, to keep it interesting, you should stick to the key events of your subject's life. Like, you don't have to spend pages detailing everything Little Jimmy did in fifth grade. An image shows Little Jimmy's fifth-grade teacher trying to teach him what one plus one equals. A young Little Jimmy is confused. TIM: Instead, focus on his time with the Beatles, and his experience at the Robot Olympics. An image shows Little Jimmy with John, Paul, and George. An animation shows Little Jimmy lifting weights at the Robot Olympics. TIM: And be sure to include plenty of interesting details. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Glad you asked. There are a number of questions you can answer when you're writing a biography. Like, what influence did your subject have on the people around him? And what influence did they have on him? How would the world be different if he'd never been born? What adjectives describe him best? How did his childhood shape the rest of his life? As Tim speaks a series of images illustrate the questions he asks. TIM: If you're stumped, you can always read through published biographies, and examine how the author approaches her subject. MOBY: Beep. TIM: You're ready to write? Moby nods. TIM: Terrific! Text reads: Six Months Later. Tim walks down a downtown sidewalk, past a bookstore. A poster in the bookstore window reads: The Trashiest Biography of the Year, A Million Little Jimmys, by Moby Calrissian. TIM: Yeah, that's about what I expected. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts